He attended Harrow School and later Christ's College, Cambridge before being called to the bar at Inner Temple in 1939, after which he returned to Singapore.
[2][3] During the Japanese occupation of Singapore, Eber was interned at Changi Prison before being moved to the Sime Road Camp.
[4][5] For alleged membership of and involvement in the Singapore Anti-British League,[6] Eber was arrested by the Singaporean Special Branch on 8 January 1951[7] during the Malayan Emergency and detained at Changi Prison for two years without trial until being released on 23 February 1953.
[3] Eber became disillusioned with the legal practice in Singapore after his detention and left for the United Kingdom with his wife, Wee Swee Lian, after failing to find employment, vowing to return to Malaya in the future.
[9] From March 1959 to December 1965, Eber served as the general secretary of the Movement for Colonial Freedom (today known as Liberation), during which he took measures to limit the influence of the Communist Party of Great Britain within the organisation.